Render Unto Caesar
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother. Matthew 22:25 · Berean Standard Bible
They describe a situation where seven brothers each married the same woman in turn, because each one died without having children. It's an extreme example meant to make a point.
This kind of exaggerated 'what if' scenario was a common debate tactic. They're piling on details to make their argument seem airtight.
The Sadducees are still building their case, adding layer upon layer to their hypothetical story.
Imagine them counting off on their fingers: first brother, second brother, third... all the way to seven. They think the more complicated they make it, the harder it is to answer.
The Sadducees construct a hypothetical scenario involving seven brothers and sequential levirate marriages, designed to create a reductio ad absurdum against resurrection. The extreme case of seven brothers intensifies the supposed dilemma.
Similar test cases appear in rabbinic literature (cf. Tob 3:8; 6:14), suggesting this may have been a stock argument the Sadducees used against Pharisaic belief in resurrection.
The Sadducees continue their carefully constructed hypothetical, speaking to Jesus.
They paint an increasingly absurd picture: one woman, seven husbands in succession, each dying childless. The scenario is designed to make resurrection look ridiculous.
23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
26The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
27And last of all, the woman died.
Read all of Matthew 22 — A wedding banquet, a trick question about taxes, and the greatest commandment — Jesus outmaneuvers every trap set for him.
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